Dry-grip sleeve



Aug. 20, 1968 T. KOCH 3,397,

DRY-GRIP SLEEVE Filed Dec. 18, 1964 INVENTOR. TOBIAS KOCH ATTOR/VEXUnited States Patent 3,397,891 DRY-GRIP SLEEVE Tobias Koch, 149Friendship Road, Drexel Hill, Pa. 19026 Filed Dec. 18, 1964, Ser. No.419,436 4 Claims. (Cl. 273162) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This inventionrelates to a sleeve for keeping dry the handle of a golf club or thelike so as to prevent the handle from getting wet and becoming slippery.It assists the golfer in maintaining a good grip on the club.

The sleeve includes a body member of thin waterproof material, a smallfront opening which is adapted to receive the shaft, a larger rearopening which is adapted to receive a hand or both hands of the golfer,means for contracting the size of the front opening to fit snugly aroundthe shaft of the golf club, and means for contracting the size of therear opening so as to fit snugly around the wrist or wrists of thegolfer, with the body member flaring outwardly from the rear opening andthen tapering inwardly toward the front opening, and with the sleevebeing long enough to admit both hands or to admit one hand inside withthe other hand gripping the outside of the sleeve around the shaft ofthe club.

This invention relates to improvements in an article for preventingslipping of the hands from the gripping portion of an implement, whichslipping is caused by the gripping portion being wet. The invention moreparticularly concerns a dry-grip sleeve for golf clubs or the like whichprevents the gripping portion of the golf club from getting wet.

It is very difiicult to hold onto a golf club and swing it properly whenthe shaft of the golf club is wet, such as when the golf game is beingplayed in the rain. Wet weather does not deter the enthusiastic golferfrom playing, and this is especially so when the rain starts during thecourse of a match. Unless there is lightning, the match may continue andthe golfer may protect himself from the wet weather by all sorts of raingear, including a hat, a water-proof plastic jacket which is roomyenough to permit a free swinging of the golf club, a pair of waterproofplastic rain pants, and water-proof shoes or overshoes which are usuallymade of rubber. In addition to this, a golf umbrella may be used. Thisrain gear keeps the golfer dry and comfortable, and the golf match mayproceed without endangering the golfers health.

However, it is a very difficult problem to hold onto a golf club andswing it properly when the shaft is wet. The golfer may use a towel todry his hands and dry the club shaft, but as the game proceeds the shaftbecomes wet and slippery and very difiicult to control. In some cases,the golf club may become so slippery as to slip entirely out of thehands of the golfer during the course of the swing and fly out of hishands, presenting considerable danger to the other golfers and caddiesin the immediately vicinity.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a dry-gripsleeve which keeps dry the shaft of a golf club and the like.

It is another object to provide such a sleeve which does not interferewith the swinging of the club by the golfer.

Other objects and advantages of this invention, including its simplicityand economy, as well as the ease with which it may be adapted toexisting equipment, will fur- 3,397,891 Patented Aug. 20, 1968 therbecome apparent hereinafter and in the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a dry-grip sleeve constructed inaccordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in elevation of the dry-grip sleeve in position aroundthe shaft of a golf club and the left hand of a golfer, with portions ofthe sleeve cut away to show the position of the left hand;

FIG. 3 is a view in elevation similar to FIG. 2 except that now thegolfer is also grasping the shaft of the golf club with his right hand,the right hand being outside the sleeve;

FIG. 4 is a view of a modified form of the invention which is largerthan the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-3 and provides for bothhands of the golfer gripping the club inside the dry-grip sleeve; and

FIG. 5 is a partial view of another embodiment of the invention whichhas a band with an adjustable buckle for varying the size of theopening.

Although specific terms are used in the following description forclarity, these terms are intended to refer only to the structure shownin the drawings and are not intended to define or limit the scope of theinvention.

Turning now to the specific embodiments of the invention selected forillustration in the drawings, there is shown a dry-grip sleeve 11 for agolf club and the like which comprises a body member 12 which is made ofa thin, water-proof material such as plastic or water-proofed fabric.Body member 12 may be seamless, or it may' be made of two identicalpieces which are sewn or sealed together by other means at two seams.

Body member 12 is provided with a front opening 13 and a rear opening14, with front opening 13 being smaller than rear opening 14. Bodymember 12 flares outwardly from rear opening 14 and then tapers inwardlytoward front opening 13.

Adjustable means are provided at front and rear openlugs 13 and 14 forcontracting and expanding the size of the front and rear openings 13 and14. In FIGS. 1 and 3, those adjustable means comprise a band 15 havingsnap buttons 16, and a band 17 having snap buttons 18. Band 15 is openedto permit expanding of front opening 13 so that it may easily receive ashaft 21 of a golf club, and then the opening 13 is contracted to fitsnugly around shaft 21 by closing snap buttons 16.

Band 17 is attached to rear opening 14 and is opened to admit the lefthand of the golfer, and then is contracted after the hand is in grippingposition by closing the snap buttons 18. This position is shown in FIG.2, and it may be seen that band 15 fits snugly around shaft 21 and band17 fits snugly around the golfers wrist. The contracting of the bands 15and 17 causes body member 12 to wrinkle or crinkle in the portions nearthose bands, but this presents no problem to the golfer and does nothinder his swing.

After the golfer has gripped the club as in FIG. 2, he-

may then grip the shaft 21 of the club with his right hand as shown inFIG. 3. The left hand is the control hand that guides the club, and theright hand is the hand which applies the power. Accordingly, the grip ofthe right hand need not be as slip-proof as the grip of the left hand.However, even though the right hand is outside dry-grip sleeve 11, andthe outside of the sleeve may be wet, the crinkling or wrinkling of thesleeve 11 beneath the right hand provides some purchase for an improvedgrip and does help prevent the right hand from slipping.

Turning now to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 4,there is shown a dry-grip sleeve 22 which is made of thin water-proofmaterial and is somewhat larger than dry-drip sleeve 11 so as to admitboth hands of the golfer. Sleeve 22 has a front opening which isprovided with an elastic band 23 and a rear opening (or two openings,one for each hand) which has an elastic band 24. Body member 25 extendsbetween bands 23 and 24 and flares outwardly from hand 24 and thentapers inwardly toward band 23.

Elastic band 23 is adapted to contract the size of the front opening andto fit snugly around a shaft 26 of a golf club, and is adapted to expandwhen desired to more easily receive shaft 26. Elastic band 24 is easilyexpanded to permit the easy insertion of the golfers hands, thencontracted to fit snugly around the golfers wrists.

The snug fit of bands 23 and 24 prevents entry of rain and yet does notimpede the golfers swing. Bands 23 and 24 even fit snugly during thecourse of the swing and expand and contract in response to the movementof the golfers hands and wrists.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. is similar to those shownin FIGS. 14, except that the front and rear openings are provided withbands having one end portion 31 which has a friction device such asbuckle 32 mounted thereon. Another end portion 33 of the band is adaptedto pass through buckle 32 and is held in place by the buckle. Instead ofthe buckle shown in FIG. 5, a snapbuckle may be used, such as the onecommonly used in golf caps to provide for varying the fit of the cap tosuit all sizes. In the snap-buckle, the free end of the band may beinserted through the buckle to a desired position when the buckle isopen, and then the buckle is snapped closed to securely grasp and holdthe band.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the size of openings may be adjusted tosuit the golfer, and the bands may be of elastic or non-elastic materialas desired.

It will be realized that elastic bands may be used in the dry-gripsleeve 11 in place of snap button bands 15 and 17, and that snap buttonbands may be used in dry-grip sleeve 22 in place of elastic bands 23 and24.

The dry-grip sleeve of the present invention may be used in sports otherthan golf. For example, the sleeve may be used in baseball to keep drythe handle of a baseball bat.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a presently preferred embodiment. Variouschanges may be made in the'shape, size and arrangement of parts. Forexample, equivalent elements may be substituted for those illustratedand described herein, parts may be reversed, and certain features of theinvention may be utilized independently of the use of other features,all without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention asdefined in the subjoined claims.

The claimed invention is: I

1. A dry-grip sleeve for golf clubs and the like, comprising a bodymember made'of a thin, waterproof material, said body member having afront opening and a rear opening, said front opening being smaller thanthe rear opening, said body member flaring outwardly from the rearopening and then tapering inwardly toward the front opening, adjustablemeans attached to the front opening for contracting the sizeof the frontopening and for permitting expanding of the front opening to receive ashaft of a golf club and the like and then contracted to fit snuglyaround said shaft, and adjustable means attached to the rear opening forcontracting the size of the rear opening and permitting expanding of therear opening so that the rear opening may be expanded to receive a handof the golfer and then contracted to fit snugly around his wrist,whereby the sleeve shields the shaft from rain and keeps it dry forbetter gripping, said sleeve being long enough to admit both hands withone hand disposed longitudinally of the other in substantiallynon-overlapping relationship one to the other or to admit one handinside with the other hand gripping the outside of the sleeve around theshaft of the club with one hand disposed longitudinally of the other insubstantially non-overlapping relationship one to the other.

2. The dry-grip sleeve defined in claim 1, wherein the adjustable meanscomprise bands of elastic.

3. The dry-grip sleeve defined in claim 1, wherein the adjustable meanscomprise bands having snap buttons which are open when said openings areexpanded and closed when said openings are contracted.

4. The dry-grip sleeve defined in claim 1, wherein the adjustable meanscomprise bands having a friction device to assure proper closure of saidopenings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,089,086 8/1937 Farkas z 2-17ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner.

